The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Wang Peng looked coldly at Fu Yu, his expression displeased.

As the deputy director of the finance office, he usually had many social engagements.

He had eaten at almost every big and small restaurant in the Bei’an Territory, so he knew a bit more about kitchen matters than others.

Unlike other professions, the longer a chef works, the more experienced they become, and their skills improve.

As the saying goes, the older, the better.

No matter how talented or hard-working, mastering a skilled and exquisite culinary craft takes at least until you’re thirty-seven or thirty-eight.

Like the young man in front of him, who seemed to be in his early twenties at most, he was surely a kitchen helper, perhaps with a mentor, doing trivial chores like reheating dishes.

Just as Wang Peng was about to speak, Lv Tianyi, sitting next to him, started talking: ”I’m sorry to trouble you. The ’Crab Imitation’ dish you served is actually quite tasty, but it’s not exactly the same as I remember.”

Fu Yu turned to Lv Tianyi: ”Could you please describe in detail what the dish you had before looked like and tasted like? It would be helpful for our kitchen to use as a reference when cooking.”

Fu Yu heard what Zhao Meng had said to the server.

He felt that Zhao Meng’s assessment was quite possible.

After all, Zhao Meng had worked at Qianlima for over twenty years, and no one knew better than him which dishes had been modified and which still retained their original recipes.

If he said the dish was made using traditional methods without modifications, then that was the case!

If the customer said the version at their restaurant was different from what they had before, it must have been from elsewhere.

Fu Yu patiently guided the customer to try and recall the dish.

Lv Tianyi thought for a moment and said, ”Actually, I can’t quite remember either, considering it’s been almost twenty years since I last tasted it.”

”Back then, I just remembered it tasted exceptionally fresh. Although it wasn’t made with crab, it was full of crab flavor. And the presentation, I’m sure it didn’t have broccoli; it was white on the outside, yellow in the center. The white ingredient tasted like crab meat, and the yellow like crab roe, very fresh...”

As Lv Tianyi described it, Fu Yu focused on the video playing above his head.

The whole scene was very fuzzy, a white round porcelain plate with corrugated scallop stripes, with a pile of white ingredients in the middle, topped with a layer of yellow, crab roe-like substance.

It was just as he described.

Having confirmed the presentation of the ingredients, Fu Yu quickly checked the classic old taste recipe.

The ’Crab Imitation’ dish was indeed recorded in the recipe.

Moreover, the cooking method was different from Qianlima’s.

Although the presentation was not quite the same as what the customer remembered, it seemed closer to the customer’s description than the version at Qianlima.

Fu Yu quickly went through the cooking method for the ’Crab Imitation’ in the classic old taste recipe.

Upon closer look, it bore some similarity to Qianlima’s method, but with slight differences in ingredients, hence the notable difference in taste.

At Qianlima, they used large shrimp for the ’Crab Imitation,’ while the classic old recipe used small yellow croaker.

This kind of pairing would surely enhance the texture, making it easier to blend with the original ingredients, closely mimicking crab meat in texture and taste.

Fu Yu quickly ran through the preparation method in his mind, considering the recipe’s cooking method feasible.

Lv Tianyi detailed his memory of the ’Crab Imitation.’

Fu Yu nodded: ”Okay, please wait a moment, our kitchen will prepare it right away.”

Wang Peng saw the young chef asking a few questions perfunctorily before leaving.

His expression changed immediately: ”What, just ask a few questions and you’re leaving?”

Fu Yu was actually unsure himself.

He had cooked Qianlima’s ’Crab Imitation’ many times, but this was his first encounter with the cooking method from the classic old taste recipe.

It wasn’t just a question of replicating it accurately; would the final product satisfy the customer? He wasn’t confident.

Looking at Wang Peng, Fu Yu dared not make concrete promises, only explaining: ”Hmm, I’ve got a rough idea. I’ll go back to the kitchen and start cooking, please wait.”

Wang Peng looked at Fu Yu, his dissatisfaction reaching its peak.

Rough idea?!

Did they really think no one here knew those perfunctory customer placations?

Was Dong Jun Tian just judgmental, looking down on him, the deputy director?

Back then, when he came to dine with the director, Dong Jun Tian even called the chef named Guo to make an appearance!

This was just too much.

If it weren’t for others present, with Wang Peng’s temper, he would have clarified and criticized them sharply.

But he had a task on hand to entertain Lv Tianyi well.

Since Lv Tianyi had lived abroad for a long time, he probably didn’t understand these restaurant intricacies and might not have noticed the negligence.

Wang Peng bottled up his anger, unable to express it.

His face remained calm, but in his heart, he resented Qianlima’s boss, Dong Jun Tian.

Fu Yu left the private room and quickly returned to the kitchen.

Zhao Meng asked with concern: ”How was it? What did the customer say?”

Fu Yu relayed the conversation exactly.

Zhao Meng, after hearing it, was at a loss!

In over twenty years of cooking the ’Crab Imitation,’ no one had ever said it wasn’t authentic!

The customer’s description was also vague; what white ingredient tasted like crab meat, and what yellow ingredient tasted like crab roe?

If they wanted crab, why order ’Crab Imitation’? Fresh hairy crabs, weren’t they appealing?

You can’t make a soap without saponified oil.

How to cook the dish without knowing the ingredients to use?

A complex emotion filled his heart, the most unsettling feeling: uncertainty!

He simply didn’t know how to start cooking!

If even their ’Crab Imitation’ wasn’t authentic, he genuinely didn’t know where the real one could be made!

What to do?

Perhaps just use real crabs this time?

Customers in suite 104 likely wouldn’t mind the cost; he could discuss it with Gao Wenjing - the expense could be compensated from the meal price.

If not, to be safe, he could pay out of his pocket; a few crabs didn’t cost much.

Zhao Meng made the call, instructing a helper to fetch two hairy crabs.

Looking at Fu Yu, Zhao Meng said: ”I’ll handle this dish. Since he wants the fresh taste of crab meat, we’ll directly prepare ’Crab Imitation’ using real crab meat. If there are still complaints, then I have no solution.”